Template talk:Infobox OS

"Available in" (language) link should probably go somewhere else

Currently it links to Natural language which is the neuropsych/linguistics term that basically just refers to human languages. That's a relatively niche article and it should probably link to either Language, or Internationalization and localization, or to nothing at all. Alpyne (talk) 05:56, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

Use of "Update Method" and proposing "Release Method"

The description on this page notes that this parameter is to be used for ways in which the operating system can be updated. Looking at the use of the parameter on different desktop/server OS pages it seems to be used to describe the release methodology, rather than the update methods. By definition this parameter overlaps a bit with the "package manager" parameter in the Linux ecosystem.

I think it may be a good idea to add a "release method" [RM] parameter for noting how the OS is released, separate from the methods in which to update it. For example, RM would cover concepts like Long term support, Rolling release, Continuous Delivery, major/minor releases, etc.

If a new method is undesired, then a clarification of how the Update Method parameter is intended to be used would be appreciated. OmenosDev (talk) 15:56, 16 July 2023 (UTC)

So the idea is that "update method" is "what is the mechanism used to distribute updates?" and "release method", or whatever it ends up being called, is "what is the release schedule, what types of releases are there, etc.?" If so, maybe "relase methodology" or "release policy" would be a better term, as it's not a mechanism, it's a policy. Guy Harris (talk) 18:41, 16 July 2023 (UTC)

Microsoft Windows seems to use "update method" for ways in which the OS is updated ("Windows Update, Microsoft Store, Windows Server Update Services"). macOS doesn't use it at all; individual macOS releases use it for ways in which the OS is updated ("Software Update") - for macOS, major releases came out on CD/DVD in the old days and via the Mac App Store later, and updates to a major release come out via Software Update. Ubuntu uses it for ways in which the OS is updated ("Software Updater, Ubuntu Software, apt"}). Arch Linux, however, uses it for the release policy ("Rolling release").

So the parameter is currently used for both purposes, with some OSes using it for the mechanism used to distribute updates and others using it for the policy used for those updates. Guy Harris (talk) 19:01, 16 July 2023 (UTC)

Logging in for the first time in a while...

Yes, the parameter is currently used in a multipurpose capacity which is confusing as it lacks consistency across pages. From this thread alone it seems there may potentially be three different concepts to consider:

1. Release Policy: The policy describing the lifecycle and versioning of the platform.
2. Update Method: The ways in which a user can update/upgrade platform components or the version of the platform itself.
3. Distribution Strategy: The mediums in which users receive the base platform and/or updates from the official provider:
   • Physical media (floppy, disk, usb, appliance, etc)
   • Digital download (ISO, pre-built image, network downloads, etc)

OmenosDev (talk) 16:16, 26 October 2023 (UTC)